Cowboy Courage by Judy Duarte

Author:Judy Duarte
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Silhouette
Published: 2002-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Laurie shot up in bed, heart racing, skin clammy, feet tangled in the sheets. She’d been running madly, away from a smokelike shadow that hovered around her, never able to escape.

Sitting upright in bed, Laurie reached for the pillow and clutched it tightly to her chest, resting her chin in the softness. She’d had a nightmare.

She scanned the small, darkened room she had retreated to in the early hours of morning, after spending most of the night in Cole’s bed, wrapped in his arms. She wished he still held her, that she still had the comfort of his body, the steady rise and fall of his chest, but she’d slipped out of his room, as she had the last three passion-filled nights, so Beth wouldn’t find them together.

What she wouldn’t give to be snuggled in the warm cocoon of Cole’s protective arms instead of sequestered in the dark little room above the barn.

Cole hadn’t wanted her to go back to her room, and she’d prolonged the comfort of his embrace as long as she dared. When she’d climbed from bed, he hadn’t argued. She figured they both knew it wouldn’t be right for Beth to find them together, especially since Laurie would be leaving in the next few days. How would she and Cole explain it to the child?

The small digital alarm clock flashed 4:45, and Laurie sighed loudly. She ran her fingers through her hair and nibbled her bottom lip. She was running now, running from the harsh reality of her life, hiding in a dream world.

But Sandy had been right. Laurie couldn’t hide from her problems. They would follow her wherever she went. No one could slay her dragons. She had to face them and defeat them herself.

Daniel. Denise. The canceled checks. Her aunt. El Corazón.

The day of reckoning had come. She wouldn’t put it off any longer. She would leave today rather than wait until Thursday. Tears welled in her eyes, and her heart twisted into a heavy knot.

Laurie glanced outside, wondering how many minutes before the sun would peek over the hilltop.

She didn’t have much to pack, but her bags would be ready before breakfast. She didn’t have dragons to slay in Texas, but she had people she’d grown to care about. People she’d miss when she left. People she hoped would miss her as much as she would miss them.

She’d say goodbye to Sandy first, and then, by the time she returned to the ranch, she would have found the right words to say to Cole—if there were words to explain what he meant to her. How much she would long for the days they’d had together.

Laurie would promise to call, to write. To come back for a visit. But things would never be the same.

And neither would her heart.

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